Newly appointed Co-Captain Jed Adcock says the Lions are looking forward to putting all their hard work over the pre-season into practice when their NAB Cup campaign kicks off this Saturday night at Metricon Stadium.

“The team’s had a really good pre-season, but all teams are saying that at this stage of the year,” Adcock told SEN radio in Melbourne.

“We won our last three matches last year, and took that momentum into the pre-season and followed it all the way through.”

“The boys are now cherry ripe to start playing footy.”

Adcock, however, will be watching the Lions’ pre-season opener from the sidelines.

“I had a bit of hip surgery in the off-season,” he said.

“I’ve been back in full training for a while, but I’m still just on the comeback trail. I’ll play next week (in Wagga Wagga).”

The absence of Adcock and a number of his more senior teammates has opened the door for some of the younger Lions players to get their first taste of senior AFL action.

Among those is Callum Bartlett, who could don the maroon, blue and gold in an official AFL match for the first time since arriving at the Club at the end of 2009.

Consecutive knee reconstructions effectively ruined Bartlett’s first two years with the Lions, and he was eased back through the Lions Reserves in 2012.

The 21 year-old rookie has finally overcome his unfortunate run of luck, and looks set to make a much-anticipated first official match.

He was one of seven players named in the Lions’ squad who have never before experienced an AFL NAB Cup match, along with recent draftee Marco Paparone.

First year sensation Dayne Zorko and Stephen Wrigley are also NAB Cup ‘newbies’ despite playing senior AFL football with the Club last season.

With Jonathan Brown and Simon Black sidelined, Ash McGrath will prove the most experienced Lions player to take the field this Saturday night (21 career NAB Cup games), while regular full-back Daniel Merrett will have the honour of being the team’s leading goal-kicker (nine career NAB Cup goals).

Both McGrath and Merrett are also among just five Lions players (including new recruit Brent Moloney) to have ever scored a nine-point ‘Super Goal’ – which have become synonymous with the pre-season competition.

MOST NAB CUP GAMES
25 – Simon Black
21 – Ash McGrath
17 – Jed Adcock
17 – Matt Maguire
13 – Brent Staker

MOST NAB CUP GOALS*
17 – Jonathan Brown
12 – Simon Black
9 – Daniel Merrett
7 – Ash McGrath
5 – Brent Staker
5 – Tom Rockliff

*Includes ‘super goals’

SUPER GOALS
1 – Jed Adcock
1 – Simon Black
1 – Ash McGrath
1 – Daniel Merrett
1 – Brent Moloney

NAB CUP ‘NEWBIES’ (ZERO NAB CUP GAMES)
Callum Bartlett, Jordon Bourke, Justin Clarke, Michael Close, Sam Docherty, Nick Hayes, Sam Mayes, Sam Michael, Marco Paparone, Stephen Wrigley, Dayne Zorko.